Kelley Drye’s Barbara Hoey on the State of DEI -- and How Companies Can Move Forward (VIDEO)

More and more companies in media and entertainment have embraced diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and most have done so with the intent of making their companies more welcoming to people of different races and cultures. It’s a concept akin to “a rising tide lifts all boats” -- and it benefits leadership as well. But in June 2023, DEI took a hit in the form of a legal challenge brought against Harvard by a group called SFFA (Students for Fair Admissions), which claimed Harvard was discriminating against Asian applicants in favor of Black applicants with lower GPAs. In this edition of Office Hours, Kelley Drye’s Barbara Hoey explains how the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of SFFA set off a wave of legal action by conservative groups against DEI programs within law firms, law schools, corporations and even nonprofits, putting DEI initiatives at risk.